28 July 2010

PR or bribery? You be the judge

Can travel writers be bribed with offers of a free 10-day holiday for two in a luxury resort in Bali with a wad of dollars thrown in for personal expenses?

The Bali Safari and Marine Park appears to think so.

It is offering the chance of an all-expenses-paid holiday to published writers and bloggers who submit a Ã¢â¬ÅâœpositiveÃ¢â¬~ article about Bali and Bali Safari & Marine Park.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœMore articles you write the more chances you have to win,Ã¢â¬~ gushes the promo sent out to journalists.

Sounds rather like a competition on a cornflake packet.

As the TravelTech website notes, Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe strategy is dangerous because it seriously comprises anything written about the tourist attraction. It will also alienate serious travel media. You can understand the motivation, but this is not PR Ã¢â¬' it is bribery.Ã¢â¬~

The Bali Safari and Marine Park says the judgeÃ¢â¬â¢ s (just one?) decision in relation to any aspect of the competition will be final.

The winner will be announced in February next year.

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Your Comments (1)

Annoying

As a professional travel writer it's annoying to constantly have some sectors of the industry think you're little more than pigs at the trough. I take what I do seriously. It's not brain surgery, but I work hard to properly interpret how a destination may (or not) work for a reader or portion of the readership. I'm not against contests - they can be a way to add a few bucks to the kitty. But when someone or a destination is so blatant, well to protect my own reputation, because that's part of what I sell to editors, I'd have to give such a place a wide berth. This illustrates how many people think they know how to do your business better than you do. Bring in qualified professional writers and let them find their own story. But the more you micro-manage the message, the more boring and suspect it becomes and the less coverage you get.

By Allan Lynch, Thursday, July 29, 2010